Playing with stitches

I’ve been having a lot of fun sewing all kinds of pretty, one-of-a-kind items for my daughter who just turned six months on Monday.

For years I’ve been sewing dresses and quilts for my nieces and now I get to sew all these adorable custom items for my own child.

Clothes, such as pants, tops and dresses, have been at the top of my list of things to make. And I’ve also sewn a few blankets, spit up cloths and bibs. I’m sure if we were brave enough to venture into cloth diapers, I would have sewn a few of those as well!

Recently we started venturing into the realm of baby wearing – which is where you wear your baby close to you in a carrier or sling.  Elliana and I have struggled with this a bit but I think we have finally found our groove. After trying a number of different carriers, we have discovered that ring slings are our favourite.

This carrier is typically a long strip of fabric – usually cotton, linen or a woven fabric – that is approximately 30 inches by 2 meters or more. Two rings at one end work to secure your fabric. Now that I’ve discovered these ring sling carriers, I’ve also discovered all the beautiful fabrics you can use to customize them. (Hello rabbit hole!! LOL!)

Most recently I made one out of dupioni silk. The beauty of working with a fabric such as silk is it breathes well in our warm, humid summer, which we will hopefully eventually get to experience here in Winnipeg. And it is surprisingly easy to care for – ring slings are easy to hand wash and hang to dry (and of course, this silk dries quickly).

I’ve been having fun incorporating some of the beautiful stitches that are so abundant on my Janome Skyline S7 into my ring slings. Typically it’s helpful to distinguish one side of the sling to the other so you know you’re pulling the correct side (i.e. top or bottom of the carrier) when you are tightening it, so I like to use a fancier stitch than just a straight stitch to take my personalized ring sling it up a notch and let me know which side of my carrier is the top.

Where the rings on the carrier sit, you need to ensure you have a good, sturdy stitch. You can make sure it’s secure by sewing across where the fabric meets several times with a straight stitch. But why not use some of those lovely decorative stitches available on the Janome Skyline S7? I picked out one that was nice and wide and gives that part of my carrier a secure but pretty finish.

I think Elliana approves of her new carrier. I can’t wait to use this during the warmer days of summer, or maybe for a fancier event.

DYK the Janome Skyline S7 has 240 built in stitches? If you had to guess, how many stitches have you used on your sewing machine?